Husband found not guilty of murdering, dismembering wife who was the daughter of famed serial killer

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Christopher Wolfenbarger

Christopher Wolfenbarger (Law&Crime).

A Georgia antheral leaned backmost successful his wheelchair and breathed a suspiration of alleviation aft a assemblage acquitted Friday for the 1998 execution of his wife.

Christopher Wolfenbarger was recovered not blameworthy of Melissa Wolfenbarger aft jurors successful Fulton County deliberated for conscionable 2 hours. He was charged with his wife's murder past twelvemonth acknowledgment to a task unit that believed it had capable grounds to convict him of the crime.

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The victim's household past heard from her connected Thanksgiving 1998. But the family's alarm bells went disconnected erstwhile she missed her mom's day a fewer months later. Investigators recovered a severed caput successful a achromatic trash container successful April 1999 successful the backmost of Christopher Wolfenbarger's workplace Atlanta, and much remains were located astir a period later.

But the remains were misidentified arsenic a missing man. They weren't identified arsenic hers until 2003 erstwhile investigators identified them arsenic acknowledgment to her begetter Carl Patton's apprehension successful a bid of killings known arsenic the Flint River Murders that occurred successful the 1970s. He's present serving a beingness sentence.

Investigators judge the homicide occurred sometime betwixt Dec. 10, 1998, and April 29, 1999. When questioned, Christopher Wolfenbarger said helium believed his woman had moved to California for a caller life. He has ever maintained his innocence.

More from Law&Crime: 'Thousand-yard blank stare': Suspended lawyer strangles woman conscionable months aft helium was ordered to enactment distant for 'challenging' her with room knife, cops say

"Yeah, I person a transgression history. But I'm not a murderer," helium told Dateline successful 2021.

But prosecutors believed helium killed her due to the fact that of their rocky relationship. Her sister said the summertime earlier her disappearance, Christopher Wolfenbarger had allegedly assaulted his woman and dragged her by the hairsbreadth down a sidewalk.

By being acquitted, the suspect avoided a beingness sentence.

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